Customer Reviews

The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years, Seasons 1991-1993

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is truly the Infantile years as Steve Smith develops his Red Green Persona. Reds voice is a lot lower & slower here and the show is still finding its way. The formats change slightly but by year 3 they find their way with a new Canadian network at the helm.

This is not to say that these early shows are not fun, they are. But you will see the show develop & progress as you enjoy their antics.

An all to brief Steve Smith introduction is repeated on disc 1 of all three years in this set, yes the very same introduction, and he states that the Canadian network was trying to make the show a sit-com in year two, but fortunately they dropped the show & a new Canadian network bought it allowing year 3 to develop into the show we know today.

But don't worry, even in these early years, the gang is here: Harold, Bill Smith, Ranger Gord, Hap Shaughnessy & others. By year 3 Harold is running his own 'network' and there is a live audience. So sit back & enjoy the start of a 15 year run!

Year 1 Disc 1
Steve Smith Introduction
1) THE BIG INBOARD - The men build a motor V8 engine.
2) THE ELVIS SIGHTING
3) THE UFO
4) THE TREASURE HUNT
5) PRACTICAL JOKE WEEK
6) HOME BARBER KIT
7) HE-MAN CONTEST
8) GUEST ELEPHANT

Year 1 Disc 2
9) EXOTIC DANCER - Moose visits an exotic Dancer
10) LOST TOUPEE
11) TALENT SHOW
12) PROBLEM OUTHOUSE
13) WHITTLING CONTEST
14) WIND-POWERED BOAT (previously released on STUFFED & MOUNTED volume 1)
15) HOT WATER BOTTLE - Blowing up a hot water bottle
16) LODGE VISITOR - An unexpected guest causes a ruckus

Year 1 Disc 3
17) GUN-POWDER SHAKES - An explosive drink!
18) SAFETY WEEK
19) BAD CHILI - There is a running show lost in the chili
20) WATER TOWER
21) JET-SKI
22) NEW WELL
23) CANOE JOUSTING
24) WATER SLIDE

Year 2 Disc 1 (The sit-com year, see explanation below)
Steve Smith Introduction
1) THE PUTTER ATTACK - Noel hits Helmut on the head.
2) DOC'S LOAN - An Angry Helmut comes to collect from Doc.
3) MISSING - Eddie's Robert Goulet record collection disappears.
4) THE RECEIPT-A-THON - The Tax Man Cometh!
5) THE SING-A-LONG MACHINE - Karaoke turns dangerous!
6) BEAR!!! - A female bear can not resist Red & the gang.
7) THE BAD CHECK-UP - Glen is denied RV insurance.
8) THE FOUR-MAN RAFT - Murray makes a bad business deal.

Year 2 Disc 2
9) SKEET GOLF - Bob's Passion for golf causes an accident.
10) THE BROKEN WATER PUMP - Helmut struggles with the repairs.
11) THE ILLEGAL CLUBS - Bob buys a set of questionable golf clubs.
12) ANIMALS IN THE ATTIC - Eddie befriends a raccoon in the attic.
13) THE PARTY BOAT SANK - Glen is blamed for sinking a boat.
14) THE FOOD CLUB - Eddie quits after a dispute with Douglas.
15) THE FISH LOCATOR - Doc buys a gadget he can not afford.
16) THE BENT CANOE - Helmut destroys the lodge's canoe.

Year 2 Disc 3
17) JOB SECURITY - Noel is fired and replaced by Helmut.
18) NOEL'S STAG - The guys plan a stag party for Noel.
19) BOB'S BIRTHDAY - A surprise party goes awry.
20) THE SUDSY LAKE - Possum Lake is covered in pink foam.
21) THE GUN MISHAP - Noel accidentally shoots Murray.
22) THE DOUBLE DATE - Glen & Helmut go on a double date.
23) THE FLORIDA TRIP - The gang plans a trip to Florida without Glen.
24) NOT ONE FISH - The lake's fish are disappearing & the gang wants to know why.

Year 3 Disc 1 (the show as we know it now)
Steve Smith introduction
1) MAPLE SYRUP - The men collect syrup with Russian Munitions. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 1)
2) CAR POOL - Red starts a car pool with limited success. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 2)
3) THE SPAWNING GROUNDS - Spawning is the new plan to get government money. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 3)
4) MAGNETIC LAKE - A freak accident magnetizes Possum Lake. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 4)
5) UNDERGROUND PARKING - An old mine becomes a parking garage. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 5)
6) THE TANKS WE GET - Donated gas tanks overwhelm the lodge. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 6)
7) FIRE BRIGADE - The lodge forms its own volunteer fire department. (previously on STUFFED & MOUNTED vol. 1)
8) THE NEW SHIRT/CASINO - Red's new shirt causes friction at Casino Night

Year 3 Disc 2
9) GREEN GREEN - Red tries to clean up the environment.
10) FUEL CONVERSION - The men convert their cars to run on firewood!
11) THE HIDDEN MINE - The guys find a secret mine hatch.
12) LAKE REGULATIONS - The lodge confronts a yuppie canoe club.
13) CROSS THE LAKE RACE - The men get the chance to work with nudists.
14) THE SALMON PARADE - A parade celebrates the salmon's return.
15) THE FUNNIEST VIDEO - The guys send in a funny video to a TV show.
16) BIOSPHERE THREE - The gang tries out a biosphere experiment.

Year 3 Disc 3
17) THE WATER PARK - The boys outfit the lake for a water park.
18) THE USED HELICOPTER - The men acquire a "gently" used helicopter.
19) POSSUM LAKE REGATTA - Moose's junker joins the Regatta.
20) THE RETIREMENT HOME - Old Man Sedgwick wants a cottage.
21) SLINGSHOT SKIING - Moose decodes to water ski without a boat.
22) THE POSSUM OLYMPICS - The lodge hosts their biannual event.
23) POSSUM LAKE MONSTER - A dinosaur is sighted in the lake.
24) THE WATER SHOW - The gang puts on a water show.

I should explain more about 'The Sit-com Year' year 2. The entire half hour show is not a sit-com, you still have 'The Handyman Corner', 'Adventures With Bill', the Campfire Song and other bits. But in this year there is an actual sketch with the boys of the club, often with Red & Harold taking the backseat to the other club members. Bill is there, but in tradition of his adventures, he never talks. The descriptions above for year two are the storylines of the sketches. It is rather odd to see these segments, but don't worry they last only about 5 minutes. Year 2 also has no live audience, the laughs are canned laughter. Year 3 brings in the live laughter.

By the way, did you ever wonder just what that gadget is that Harold wears around his neck to control the effects of the show? It is the control panel to an AMPEX 2" video tape recorder (called a "quad" player because it used 4 heads to play out one picture), most of these were retired by TV stations in the 1980's when the smaller 1" video tape format replaced it.

Overall this is a real treat for fans to see the rare early shows.
My only complaint is about the lack of substantial bonus material. The old "STUFFED & MOUNTED" discs had much more to offer for insight. And why repeat the only short interview in all three sets? Maybe Acorn intended at one time to sell these separately, but still couldn't Steve have shot three different introductions? He had to spend the time getting into costume anyway!

This is a 'MUSK' for Red Green fans who found the folly of Red only after the beginning of its 15-year run. 3 whole years of fruitcake entertainment from the creation of Steve Smith (Red Green) & Rick Green (Bill). 72 1/2-hr shows plus extras. If you're new to Red Green, this is the place to start, at the beginning.

See the boys of Possum Lodge almost yet in their pimpled puberty.
See the 1st Handy Man corner (Belt Sander) where Red "would NOT recommend using it to sand your belt unless you're really into celibacy."
See the 1st use of duct tape "Handy Man's Secret Weapon" "Spare the duck tape-spoil the job."
See the 1st moment of the phrase "If women don't find ya handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Hear Red explain nephew Harold (Pat McKenna) "Uncles can't be choosers." & "Speaking of misconceptions, of which you are one."

This set is the beginning of the hilarious dull-witted back-woods red-neck show that continued for 1 1/2 decades and accumulated a cult-like following equal to many rock stars.
Red sings: "In the cool of the evening when the sun goes down,
That's when the bunch of us can be found
down by the campfire like so many elves
Sittin' here, standin' there, scratching ourselves.
Alone and all in a bunch
Be sure & wash your hands before lunch." And then many more songs, at least one a show.

A book containing all of the Red Green songs and poetry would become a best-seller if ever put into print.

In year 2 (1992) more Possum Lodgers join the show...yeah, like more logic-challenged odd characters were needed. But they do add to the incredible absurdity. A red-neck camp of madness. So, so funny. Character misfit mayhem at its best.

In year 3 we see Red's fuller, grayer beard, a live audience (which helped crank up the action and dysFUNctional behaviors. By this time the show has already achieved the "Red Green Comedy Pinnacle Perfection" of imagination and red-neck dummm-ness, classic craziness, Canadian calamity...Possum Do-Do.

Use the closed-caption option so you don't miss any of the fast dialogue. Jokes and gags often slip by faster than you can recover from another huge laugh or nose-sprayed emission of your favorite Red Green Show watching beverage.
OK, I have to admit, I'd rate ANY Red Green show DVD a 5-star comedy treat.

As Red Green said for 15 years, "Keep your stick on the ice."

This has to be one of the most entertaining shows of all time. The humor is a little slow in these early episodes compared to later ones but is still well worth the purchase. All of your favorite characters appear and to learn their backgrounds is so funny. For those who love this show, the next 3 seasons are coming out Nov 2, 2010 as "The Toddlin Years" I'll be first in line for that as I can't get enough of the show!

Who doesn't love Red Green!?! Having purchased other DVD's from later years I can definitely see a dramatic difference between the early shows (the 1991 & 1992-however, there were some pretty funny moments-especially Adventures with Bill)but 1993 was by far the best of the three. Maybe having a live audience had something to do with it and also having more freedom to do what they wanted to do. The second season(1992)was portrayed like a sitcom and just didn't work. I would recommend this set for anyone who is a fan of the show. Are there people who aren't!?! I have looked for the years 1994,'95 and '96 and can't seem to find them--I'll just keep looking.

I am a long time fan of The Red Green Show and this box set is everything it claims to be. It is the birth of the series. I love seeing how it all started and how far "The guys up at the lodge" have come. A must buy for any true fan of the show.

This is a great compilation of the Red Green show....Very funny!This will give you lots of entertaining hours.If you like this kind of comedy, this is for you!

This is hard ro describe. While the genre 'could' be slapstick, the delivery is serious and sometimes VERY subtle (the winter of our discount tent. . . )

My husband and I have been Big Red Green fans for many years. We have developed an appreciation and even an affection for the usually quirky residents of Possom Lake, and especially Possom Lodge. I recently purchased some DVDs titled "Red Green, the Infantile years." It has been fascinating to see the changes that have taken place since its inception. I will definately be purchasing "Red Green, the Toddlin' Years" next. We enjoy the quirky humor of men behaving like men.......badly. My favorite parts are usually Ranger Gord and seeing what Red can do to a K car. Hysterical!

Don't miss out on how the show started. These are good but you will enjoy the newer seasons more after watching these.

If you're a fan of the Red Green Show, these are must-have episodes. I'm waiting for the '94-'96 episodes to become available. These are somewhat different than later episodes in that the lodge members are more involved with the show and provide a background story for Handy-Man Corner and Adventures with Bill. I love these and can't wait for the only missing part of the entire show to come out.